CEBU, Philippines - The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) arrived in Cebu Aug. 28 for the ship’s second port call on its transit back to homeport in San Diego.

While in Cebu, Fort Worth Sailors will get the opportunity to enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation, as well as participate in multiple cultural engagements, while the ship conducts refueling operations and onloads stores.

“Our overall mission of the stop is to receive the fuel we need to continue our voyage home,” says Cmdr. Michael Brasseur, commanding officer, USS Fort Worth. “But once again, we are honored to get the opportunity to serve as ambassadors for our warship and our country while visiting the Philippines.”

Sailors aboard Forth Worth have been working very hard during the first few weeks of the Fort Worth’s transit across the Pacific Ocean. They are looking forward to taking a few days off to experience the local community and participate in many of the activities the country offers.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to the country where I was born,” Information Systems Technician 1st Class Wayne Garigen said. “We moved away when I was just an infant, so I’m excited to finally experience the island and culture firsthand.

USS Fort Worth has been deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet for more than 18 months, completing many multilateral exercises and participating in evolutions such as the AirAsia Flight QZ8501recovery efforts.

The U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed naval operations in the Indo-Asia-Pacific area of operations. As the U.S. Navy's largest numbered fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build maritime partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability and prevent conflict.